Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro announces automatic voter registration

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced the implementation of automatic voter registration in the Keystone State.

"When running for Governor, I made a commitment to bring automatic voter registration to Pennsylvania — the birthplace of our democracy. On this National Voter Registration Day, I’m making that promise a reality," he posted on X.

"I am proud to announce that for the first time ever Pennsylvania is an automatic voter registration state," he stated in the accompanying video. "That's right. From now on, when you get or renew your driver's license or an ID card at the DMV, you'll be registered to vote unless you choose not to. I made a commitment when I was campaigning for this office that we would bring automatic voter registration to Pennsylvania and break down the barriers for legal eligible voters."

"This is a key step to make our elections more secure, adding important levels of verification to the voter registration process," he contended. "And by expanding voter registration at our DMVs, we'll save taxpayers time and money, reduce the number of costly paper registrations, and streamline voter registration for Pennsylvania."

"Look, this is common sense! You already provide proof of identity, residency, age, and citizenship at the DMV – all the information you need to register to vote," Shapiro went on. "Now, more than ever, we need an engaged citizenry to move our country and our commonwealth forward."

Pennsylvania is one of a handful of states that fell under scrutiny for its handling of elections amid former President Donald Trump's allegations of voter fraud. Shapiro's announcement was met with some skepticism from conservatives.

America First Legal Founder Stephen Miller reacted to the governor's announcement by opining that the system would not likely include meaningful efforts to determine eligibility, saying "[a]nd, I can promise you, there will be no citizenship verification."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.